White House Bans Police Use of Some Military Equipment
The surprise announcement comes after the White House signaled last year
that such equipment would remain accessible to local police
departments, despite criticisms that the police response to protests
over the killing of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri were over-militarized.
But an interagency task force has since concluded that the risk of such
military-style equipment being misused and violating community trust
outweighs the advantages it offers in maintaining public peace.
The new list of banned equipment includes tracked armored vehicles,
weaponized aircraft and vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, and
large-caliber firearms.
The announcement comes on the same day that the president will travel to
Camden, New Jersey -- one of the nation’s poorest and most dangerous
cities -- to highlight efforts his administration is making to build
trust between communities and local law enforcement.
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